The sister of a woman who was murdered by a man who befriended her has spoken for the first time of her family’s heartbreak - and the torment that haunts her over the horrific death.
Allison Dodds, 51, was murdered by Alexander Hindley, 35, at his home after he had offered her a place to stay. He strangled and smothered Allison, broke her ribs and used both sharp and blunt force to disfigure her face and ears. As she lay dead in his flat, evil Hindley told a friend what he planned to do with her body: "Put it in a garage in a sleeping bag and burn it." When police later arrested him, he only had five words: "I know what I've done."
Allison’s younger sister, Joanna Chambers, believes her trusting nature had made her vulnerable to Hindley. Joanna, 46, says: “Allison was always full of fun and smiles, as a kid I remember her dancing round the bedroom to Wham. She had their posters on the wall. She struggled with life when she was older because she had such a soft nature.
"She came into contact with the wrong person, and he lured her in. I had to sit through the court case and listen to the appalling injuries she suffered. She must have suffered a slow and tortuous death, and it breaks my heart. I think life in prison is too good for a monster like him.”
Alexander Hindley pleaded guilty to her murder (FOCUS FEATURES)Allison was the eldest of four siblings, Joanna, Andrew and Jennifer, raised in Blackburn, Lancs, by their mother, Carole. Joanna says: "Allison was five years older, and she looked after me when we were small. We’d dress up and put plays on for Mum or we’d learn dance routines. But as we got older, it was like we swapped places, and I was the older sister.
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Joanna Chambers is tortured by the thought of how her sister died (FOCUS FEATURES)
Allison and Joanna pictured as children at Christmas (FOCUS FEATURES)“She was trusting, and quite vulnerable. She had a long-term partner, Brian, and when that finished, she was devastated, and she started drinking. In 2012, we lost our mum, and that hit Allison really hard. She was so close to Mum, and she was drinking more, to help her cope.
Allison was a happy child (FOCUS FEATURES)
Allison "danced round the bedroom to Wham" when she was young (FOCUS FEATURES)“Over the past few years, we saw less of each other. Allison had moved to Blackpool, and I knew she had issues with alcohol. I’d tried to help, our whole family did. We tried to get her into rehab several times. Though she didn’t come back home much, we talked on the phone. She said she still missed Mum a lot. I worried about her, especially with her drinking. But I could never have imagined what would happen to her.
Joanna said how Allison looked after her as a child (FOCUS FEATURES)“Shortly before she died, she’d agreed to go to rehab. I really thought her life might be about to change.” In September last year, Joanna and her husband, Karl, were on holiday at Pontins with their two children when she received a call from police. They revealed Allison had been murdered. Two days on, Hindley was arrested.
The family were brought up in Blackburn (FOCUS FEATURES)
Allison was five years older than Joanna (FOCUS FEATURES)Joanna says: “I was shell-shocked. I didn’t know Hindley at all. It turned out she had met him through a friend, he had offered her a place to stay, and she’d accepted. She was in between flats and was grateful to him for offering her help. I just couldn’t believe she was gone. It was senseless and violent. Allison was such a gentle person and for her to die like that felt so cruel.”
Joanna saw less of her sister as they grew older (FOCUS FEATURES)Joanna planned her sister’s funeral, playing her favourite Wham song: ‘Freedom’ and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ in tribute to her love of Liverpool FC. She says: “Because of the investigation, we couldn’t hold the funeral until January this year, so we were in limbo for months. We buried her ashes alongside Mum’s, which is exactly where she would want to be.”
Joanna said that she became like the older sister to Allison (FOCUS FEATURES)
Allison was "trusting and quite vulnerable" (FOCUS FEATURES)Joanna and her family were unaware of the details of Allison’s brutal death, until the trial last month at Preston Crown Court. They were appalled to hear how she had suffered. The court was told Allison’s body was discovered on September 21, 2023, by social workers, who had called at Hindley’s address. She had been hidden beneath a pile of blankets and duvets.
A post mortem examination, carried out by Home Office Pathologist, Dr Alison Armour, found she had suffered a prolonged and brutal attack, in which she had been strangled, smothered and suffered broken ribs, any of which could have caused her death. She also had significant injuries to her face and ears and there was evidence both blunt and sharp force were used. Fractures to her ribs were consistent with the defendant having straddled her during the attack, the court heard.
Joanna said how she and her sister would dress up (FOCUS FEATURES)
Allison was the eldest of four siblings (FOCUS FEATURES)She also had 'humiliating' cuts to both her earlobes. Hindley arrived back at the address before police arrived, but the social workers refused to let him in. Hindley was arrested three days later. When officers examined CCTV, it showed Allison enter the address at 4.30pm on September 20 and not leave again.
Hindley was the only person to be seen coming and going from the property after the time she entered the house and before her body was discovered. In February this year, Hindley pleaded guilty to her murder. Siobhan Gray KC, defending, said Hindley had agreed Alison could stay at the flat and she had told friends she was grateful. "Other individuals said things seemed amicable - but something must have changed", she said.
Allison had problems with alcohol, said Joanna (FOCUS FEATURES)The court heard no motive for the attack had been established. Hindley was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 16 years and eight months. Keith Rennison, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: "This is a deeply distressing case whereby a woman, who was vulnerable due to experiencing housing issues, was brutally attacked by someone she trusted after being offered a safe place to stay.
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"Alexander Hindley has shown no remorse for his violent actions. But today he must face up to the consequences of what he has done. Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with Allison Dodd’s family and loved ones as they continue to deal with the devastating events that took place. We hope that they will see that as Hindley begins this prison sentence justice has been served."
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